Consumerwatch: Buying a used car

It could be one of your biggest and most thought-out purchases – but now there may be even more to consider about buying a car.

Peters travels regularly between Saskatchewan and Manitoba for work and was in the market for a car last year when he found a Hyundai Sante Fe with 9,000 kilometres on it at a dealership in Saskatoon.

"I looked at it. Everything looked fine. I asked him was there any information on it – paper work on it – any major repairs?" said Peters. "He said, ‘No,' there was nothing."

Peters bought the car and drove it back to Winnipeg, but a few months later there was a problem.

"I'd start the car – I noticed a jolt – like it would jolt forward," said Peters. "I'm not a mechanic, but I thought, ‘This isn't good.' "

Peters brought the car to a Hyundai dealership in Winnipeg. That's when he was told the car didn't have its original transmission. After a call to the Hyundai Warranty Division, Peters discovered the transmission had actually been replaced twice before it was sold to him.

"I was livid. I didn't know what to do. All these things were running through my mind," said Peters. "I was thinking, ‘This person lied to me.' "

Earlier this year, Manitoba made a move to protect consumers in the market for used cars – it mandated that dealers in the province disclose everything about a vehicle's history.

"If there was something substantially wrong with it or a defect that the person is aware of, they do have the obligation to disclose that information," said Jan Forster of the Consumer Protection Bureau.

But in Saskatchewan similar laws do not exist.

Now, Peters can file a claim under the Canadian Vehicle Protection Plan, an arbitrator between manufacturers and customers. He can also lodge a complaint with Saskatchewan's Consumer Protection Branch.

But for Peters, that's not enough. "They should have exposed that information to me prior to my purchase," Peters said.

CTV contacted the general manager of Saskatoon Hyundai about Peters' situation but our requests for an interview were not returned.

Peters said he has learned a lesson and may buy closer to home next time.